Le Cafe Madness
by RiZius
Summary: Ever wonder what goes on in that little cafe down the street? Welcome to Cat's Eye cafe where we serve you cakes, tea and maybe something to solve your problems. Step right in and place an order. Our loyal employees will definitely take care of you.
1. Japan, Here I Come!

A word from the author: Don't own anything here so don't sue me:P

Le Café Madness

Chapter 1: Japan, Here I come!

"Man, I really need to find a way to make some extra cash," I thought to myself.

Oh, hi there. My name is Li Syaoran. I have messy chestnut hair that matched my amber eyes. I am about 162cm tall and some described me as lanky. I am 16 years old and just transferred from Hong Kong to Tokyo. My family actually originated from Japan but in order to brush up on my Japanese, I must study in Tokyo. My parent said that this would also be a good opportunity for me to be independent. It's a bit hard for me to explain the situation in det1ail, so here's how this whole thing started.

About two weeks and three days ago….

"Syaoran, we came from a long line of Japanese lineage. Our family settled in Hong Kong because Hong Kong is like the land of opportunity to us. We think it's best if you were to finish your remaining school years in Japan. Japanese is supposed to be your mother tongue, boy; and you should properly master the language so as the culture there," said Father with his eyes close as though this was a very honourable decision with his hands folded across his chest.

"In Japan?!!" I exclaimed. What was he thinking? Asking his son to go to Japan just suddenly out of the blue.

"Well, you did say you wanted to study engineering in Japan after you finish high school. This is your chance to familiarize yourself with the Japanese culture before going to university or college," said Mother with her usual expressionless face. Guess she got that from taking after a son who is not so neat, if you get what I mean. "Isn't this what you wanted, Syaory?"

'Syaory'. This is what my mother likes to call me. She thought that it sounded very cute. I know that it's lame but it kind of made me feel all warm inside whenever she called me that. But there are times I wished she didn't call me that like when we were in a store shopping for new clothes, she suddenly yelled out, "Syaory! Do you need any new pair of underwear?", from the other side of the store. And, that time, they were having a mega sale so the store was full of bargain-hunting girls. And, they were laughing at yours truly. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't even look at the cashier's face (who I think was trying to confide herself from laughing). Well, it could have been worse; she could have called me 'Sweetie', 'Gigglytoes' or any other names a mother could think of. Yikes! It gives me a chill just thinking about it.

Ahem, back to the story.

"And, don't worry. The Li Clan is here to support you all the way," reassured Father with his hands still folded.

Let me tell you people one thing. My father was not always this serious. Usually, he's the kind of guy who stayed as far away as he can from being 'Serious Dad' which made Mother constantly jabbing his ribs with her elbow in order to make him stay focus.

So, what's the deal with the Li Clan stuff? Let me brief you about my family history. About 300 years ago, my ancestors from Japan moved here to Hong Kong to start a new business. Hong Kong back then was a huge port where merchants trade goods and earn profits. The Li Clan was famous for its business in food. The Li have somehow created recipes that seem to amaze the world. At one point, the Emperor of China himself even requested their finest dish (but too bad it got spoilt before it reach the Emperor). But then, once they have gotten rich, they started investing and becoming creditors to various merchants. Ever since then, the Li's cooking legacy ended as the members were more interested in making money than food. However, certain traditions and recipes still pass down to this day but the Li's main concern have always been money.

Enough with the family history. Now, where were we? Oh yeah...

I was shocked that they both suddenly asked me to leave Hong Kong. To leave my homeland. To even leave my family behind.

"But… but… Father… Mother" Those are the only words that escape my mouth.

"We can't just let you stay here in luxuries not knowing where you came from. Besides, we can't always be there for you. You should learn how to be independent," added Father.

Oh yeah, what he meant by luxuries is that my family own a huge company here in Hong Kong. Father was one of the company's directors as well as other male member of the clan with Granddad at the top (I wonder when is he going to retire). Even though we live in a big house, we're not as snobbish as some stereotype would label us. We helped out in the neighbourhood and even attended public school before moving up to a private school (it was an international school for Japanese descendant).

"I don't mind the thought of going there but Hong Kong is like my home and all my friends are here," I cried out. I was hoping that Father would suddenly say something like 'April Fool' or 'Gotcha' but I guessed he had transform seriously into 'Serious Dad'.

"Don't worry. When you get to Japan, you'll make new friends and we're just a phone call away. You won't be that far away from home," said Father firmly.

Wait, he's right. Wasn't I'm the one who always wished for adventures? Maybe, this is my chance (Besides, it's clear that I can't win this argument).$ After finally thinking about it, I gave in. "Well, I guess your right. I do like going to new places. And, I can still be in touch with my friends through e-mail."

"That's the spirit, Syaory. You're tough just like your old man here. You're a brilliant boy and you'll do fine in school there," cheered Father as he suddenly broke out from his so-called honourable pose and into his usual whacky self. "HAHAHAHA!!!"

"In two weeks time, you'll be off to Japan," beamed Father.

"You mean, YOU ALREADY GOT MY PASSPORT MADE! AND FURTHERMORE, WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME FIRST!" I exclaimed.

"Hey, you're going to Japan one way or another," said Dad sheepishly.

"Father, you never cease to amaze me. I'll better start packing right now," I said while walking up the stairs.

"Well, hurry back down cause we are going out to celebrate this wonderful occasion. And, we'll throw you a going away party too with all your friends," cheered Father as he began to dance around in circles.

'YAY! Party, Party!' 'Be careful, dear. Don't hurt yourself like last time.' 'Don't be a joy-killer. Come on, dance with me'

'I guess Father will never change!' I thought to myself.

The departure day….

"I can't tell you how proud you made me. Any father is lucky to have you for a son," said Father. He was bringing his hands up to his eye and pretended to cry.

"Don't embarrass our son, dear," said Mother calmly.

"HAHAHAHA! You're right. This is a wonderful occasion where I should be happy for my son," beamed Father. "So, you've got everything, right?"

"Don't worry, Father. I'll be fine. I'm all set to go to Japan," I said. In my hands, I am towing a big luggage wondering whether I should have just put it on the conveyer belt just now. Hopefully, they'll allow me bringing it into the plane.

"That's my boy," cried Father as he embraced me in his arms and burying me in his chest. "Father! There might be people watching," I said while struggling to get out of his grip. As I looked up, I realized how much I resembled him. We both even shared the same hair colour but the only thing that set us apart is my eyes. They're amber just like Mother's eye.

'MJY-025H. Departing to Tokyo. Now boarding'

After hearing the announcement, Father loosened his grip and gave me a nudge on the head while Mother just touched my cheek with her warm hand before kissing it. This time, I don't mind them acting like this in public. Besides, it'll be a long time before I'll be coming back here. Man, I'm sure going to miss them.

"Well, there's my ride. I've got to go. Mother, Father, thanks for everything," I said to them as I hug Mother. Then, I wheeled my bag to the boarding area.

As I made my way to the boarding area, I can still hear the voices of my parent sending off their regards.

"Write often, sweetie. And, don't forget to wear clean underwear," cried Mother.

"DEAR!" cried Father in surprise. "He'll be fine. See you. Have a nice trip. Goodbye son."

"There's our son. All grown up and leaving for Japan. Aww, I promised myself I won't cry," said Father with a smile while waving his hands.

"Say, Sorata. Do you think our son will be alright in Japan?" asked Mother.

"Hmm, I'll think he'll be okay. Are you worried, Arashi?" replied Father.

I waved my hands to them and continued making my way to the boarding area. As I settle myself on my seat, I looked outside the window and watch my homeland for the last time. Later, I no longer see the island but just the big blue sea.

'Hmm… Japan. I wonder what kind of life I'll be having there. Who shall I meet there? Will I be able to make new friends? Will they like me?' I thought to myself. Those were usually common questions one might ask when going to a far-away place.

As the plane approached the Isle of Ryukyu, I began to dream of the adventures that I will have in Nihon.


	2. The Cat’s Eye Café

Chapter 2: The Cat's Eye Café

Present day…

So, that's basically how I got to Japan. Today, I just finished settling in my new apartment. The room is pretty nice. It got a bedroom with a comfortable bed, a living room with a couch and a small coffee table and there's also a small kitchen. After unpacking my clothes, I sat in the couch at the living room. As I stare into the blank wall, I finally noticed something really important:

"Oh, shoot! There's no TV! How am I supposed to keep up with the game?" I said out loud.

Yeah, I was a diehard fan for _Nippon Puro Sakkā Rīgu _(Japanese Professional Football League) or commonly known as the J-League worldwide. My favourite team, the Urawa Reds Diamonds, was on a winning streak for two years running. Whenever I watch them play, I always wear my lucky Urawa Reds jersey (but hey, I wash it once in a while). Wait, the TV is not the only thing I have to worry about. There were also the rent, textbooks, food, and some other stuff as well.

So, I reached into my pocket and gently took out my wallet. I counted the money my parent gave me as my monthly allowance just to find out it was barely enough to cover the rent and food. A guy can't live like this. What should I do? Should I ask my parent for more money? No, I can't. I should learn how to live independently. I have no idea where I got that crazy idea but hey, I was already 16 for crying out loud. So, I decided to take a walk to help me think about it. It's getting dark but I'm sure walking in the night is no problem here since Tokyo is a metropolis that is full of lights during the night. After locking my door, I headed to the exit of the apartment.

At a nearby café in Tokyo…

"Hyuu, order's up, Sakura-chan!" said a handsome blond guy behind the counter as he rang the bell.

"Coming, Fay-san," responded a perky Sakura as she loaded her tray with food and headed for a table.

"Here you go, sir. Hope you enjoy the food. Sorry for being late," said Sakura to a man who is with his date at table no.9.

"Wow, this place is sure crowded at this time," said the man to his date.

"Business must be booming. I hear the owner was once listed as one of the top entrepreneur in Japan," said his date.

"No way! No wonder they're doing fine," agreed the man.

"That's only a rumour, dear. Still, I have never seen such a crowd not even in a five-star restaurant," said the lady.

Sakura left the loving couple to catch up on their gossip and took a good look around her of the café she worked in.

It was a nice classic café. The walls were painted beige which goes well with the yellow light emitted by the chandeliers above. The tables were round and covered by simple white tablecloths with a cute drawing of a cat which differs on every table. The drawings seem to make the shape of the table's number. There were also many pictures hanging on the wall. Most of them were paintings of kittens. Sakura walked toward the cashier counter to wait for the next order to be done.

"Wow, there sure is a lot of people tonight. Are you gonna be alright, Sakura?" asked a raven hair girl who stood behind the counter.

"I'm going to be alright. Don't worry, Tomoyo. But, I'm worried about Fay-san. He had been working non-stop since an hour ago," said Sakura thoughtfully.

Tomoyo and Sakura were cousins but they were different in many way. Tomoyo is a few years older than Sakura. Tomoyo was from a rich family and worked there to gain some experience and information for her Business and Management class while Sakura was from a family that could only barely afford to pay the bills and she really needed some money for college. Despite their different background, Tomoyo treated Sakura as though she was her little sister. Sakura valued the relationship she had with her cousin.

Anyway, back to the story….

"Yeah, it must be hard being the only chef here even if you say that cooking is your favorite thing in the world," agreed Tomoyo.

Sakura would like to continue the conversation with Tomoyo but then she heard the bell rang and Fay's voice. She went back to work thinking about the chef.

An hour later, everybody left as it was nearing closing time. Sakura and Tomoyo cleaned all the tables and put up all the chairs to make it easier for them to sweep the floor. Then, the chef came outside from the kitchen bearing some cakes and cups of tea.

"Here we go. A little snack for the two lovely ladies after a hard day's work," chirped Fay.

"Oh, Fay-san! You don't have to do this, you know. We're already big enough to get our own snack. You should take a break," said Sakura in a worrying tone.

"The girl's right. Don't overworked your puny little hands off, chef**," **said a voice in a harsh tone emphasizing the word 'chef'.

They turned around and saw a man who is in his late twenties with spiky black hair. He had a cold look in his face while standing tall with his hands folded. Just above his left-side pocket, there's a tag with the word 'MANAGER' written on it.

"Maneja-san!" gasped the two girls.

The manager emitted an aura that could even scare a police officer if he was given a chance to do so but this aura doesn't seem to be working against the chef.

"Hyuu! Is Kuro-puu worrying about me?" teased the blond chef.

"Keep dreaming! And for the last time… IT'S KUROGANE!" yelled the manager.

"Whatever you say, _black-steel_" said Fay smugly.

"Humph. If you pass out, it will be a disaster. An unfortunate event that will ruin the cafe's business," said the manager calmly ignoring the stupid remark made by the chef.

"After understanding the circumstances of this event, I have been doing some thinking and I think it's time we get another chef," said the manager while holding up a flyer.

"Even if I were to accidentally kill you during work, at least we can manage with the other chef," said the manager with a sense of pride of his work.

Then, Fay quickly snatched the flyer and read it out loud.

"_Chef Wanted. Do you have what it takes to serve hundreds of customers? If you do, step right in for an interview_. Wait a minute, I'll add something," said Fay as he took out a pen from his pocket. He scribbled something on the flyer and then read it again.

"_Chef Wanted. Do you have what it takes to serve hundreds of customers? If you do, step right in for an interview __**with our beloved Kuro-rin!**_ Doesn't that sound much better?" said Fay with a gigantic grin across his face.

"Who do you take me for? Come here you," said Kurogane as he chased Fay around with a giant paper fan.

"Hyuu! Catch me if you can, Kuro-tan," teased Fay as he dodged Kurogane's lethal attacks swiftly.

While the two of them were having a game of cat-and-mouse, Tomoyo took the flyer and looked at it herself.

"Hey, Kurogane-san. I liked the picture. It's so cute!" cried Tomoyo.

Kurogane stopped chasing Fay and looked at the picture he put on the flyer. It was a picture of a cartoon cat wearing a chef hat flipping a pancake.

"Well, yeah. I thought the cat would associate well with our Cat's Eye Café," said Kurogane proudly as though he expected everyone to clap their hands (which they did).

"Kinomoto-san, go and put this flyer on the front window outside," ordered Kurogane.

"Yes, sir," said Sakura obediently.

Sakura took the flyer and headed to the front door with her eyes still concentrating on the part about the requirements for being a chef. Perhaps, she found it was interesting that Kurogane did not put an age requirement.

'Gee, I hope someone my age would work here,' she mumbled to herself as she made her way toward the door as she looked back at the trio who were busy chatting about the latest car. She might not have realized it but God was listening to her prayer.


	3. The Job at the Café

Chapter 3: The Job at the Café

"Man, I really need to find a way to make some extra cash," I thought to myself.

So, there I was walking on the streets of Tokyo in search for ideas for making money. So far, I came up with either mowing other people's lawn or get a job. At that moment, I was still looking down on the pavement when I should be looking where I am going but I'm glad I didn't.

'THUMP'

A door suddenly slid open and hit me in the face causing me to fall on my back. Then, a girl in a waitress uniform came out holding a flyer. Unfortunately, she tripped on my leg as she turned right and fell face down on me. I opened my eyes and stared into the two most beautiful emerald green eyes that I have ever laid eyes upon. I stared at sweet innocent face as her sudden auburn locks tickled my face since our faces were just inches apart. For some reason, I can feel my head getting hotter and I suddenly felt warm on that cold winter night. Her face, however, blushed with a slight shade of pink. Suddenly, I realized what kind of position we were in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir!" gasped the girl.

"That's okay but could you please get off me?" I said while flashing a smile.

"Oh…oh…alright," stammered the girl as she blushed again.

She grabbed my hand and helped me get back on my feet. We both brushed the dirt off our clothes. Then, I noticed something lying on the floor so I picked it up.

"Oh, Miss! I think this belongs to you," I called out to her. I looked at the flyer for a moment and saw the words 'CHEF WANTED' written on it.

"Thanks," she squeaked.

She was about to turn around so I called out to her again. 'This could be the answer that I was looking for to solve my money problem' I thought to myself.

"Hey, Miss!" I cried.

"Huh?" she said as she looked back.

"What's that?" I asked politely while pointing at the flyer.

"Oh, we're a little short-handed here so the manager decided that we should hire another chef," answered the girl.

"So, am I too early to apply for the job?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"What? You want the job?" she asked looking surprise.

"Well…erm…sure. Why not?" I said. I was hoping that they wouldn't mind me coming in for an interview at this hour.

"Okay. Right this way," she beamed.

"By the way, what's your name? I'm Syaoran," I introduced myself as she led me inside the café.

"It's Sakura," she replied.

As she led me inside the café, I can't help myself but noticing how nice the place was. Sure it looked a little old fashioned but still it's so bright and made me feel energize to work here. Then, I noticed a big picture of a women sitting on a chair. The woman was wearing a bright red dress with two children standing next to her. One of them was a girl with red hair in a white dress and the other one was a boy with blue hair in an all-black suit. They were both smiling with their eyes close while the woman was striking a mysterious pose. Behind them was a huge window with a spectacular view of the moon. Strangely, all three of them were just as pale as the moon.

"Could you wait here? I have to go and ask the manager," squeaked Sakura. It looks as though the girl was still too embarrassed to talk normally to me.

"Sure, Sakura-san. I can wait," I said while giving another smile to her.

I wanted her to feel that I'm no stranger and there was no need to feel awkward around me. Sometimes, when a person is feeling uncomfortable, it'll help if you smile at them and tried to be friendly. Still, whenever I looked at her, I can't stop smiling.

Then, I watched her disappear through the door. Then, I continued to gaze at the painting on the wall. The family looked very happy. Looking at it made feel a little bit homesick. Father would get us together to have our picture taken every year kind of like the family in this picture. Then, I looked at the door wondering when the girl… I mean Sakura will be coming out.

'Why am I feeling so anxious all of a sudden?' I thought to myself.

Anyway, I continued to look at the picture of the happy family. Then, I realized something. Something seems to be out of place about the picture. How could I not notice it at that time? How could they be from the same family when every one of them have different hair colour? It's not biologically possible. Where was the father anyway? It could be possible that both the children dyed their hair. But no matter how weird they look, they sure looked happy. I leaned forward to the edge of the painting hoping that the painter had left a signature. I wanted to know who the painter was. As I gotten closer to the painting, I saw the painter's signature. It was written in romanized letters. The letters that I could make out of it is this:

C L O W

I was still gazing at the picture without realizing that someone had step out of the door. The person was walking steadily toward me. At least that's what I could tell since I wasn't paying much attention to whatever it was. Then, I felt something hard striking my head.

WHACK! 'Ouch! That hurts!'

"Hey, kid. You touch that and I'll have you thrown out of my café!


End file.
